Vegetables & Raw Diets for Dogs

Do dogs need vegetables in their diet, and if so, where do they fit into a raw diet for dogs? Advocates of a raw diet for dogs seem divided on this issue. Some advise adding vegetables and fruit to a raw meat diet, while others prefer to substitute green tripe to get the same nutritional value of vegetables.

  1. Raw Diet

    • Animal food manufacturers have spent millions of research dollars determining exactly what should go into canned and dry dog foods. Raw dog food advocates contend there is no substitute for a dog's natural diet---raw meat---and that eating uncooked bones, organ meat and muscle meat is beneficial to a dog's teeth as well as nutritional needs. There is some debate among the raw food community over whether or not a dog's diet should include vegetables and fruit. Most say these foods should make up a quarter of your dog's diet while a growing minority proposes green tripe---the lining of a ruminant's stomach---as a preferable alternative.

    Vegetables

    • Most raw food advocates recommend a mix of 75 percent protein and 25 percent vegetable-fruit combination. Most dogs can have both vegetables and fruit, but some may be prone to diabetes. Research your dog breed to see if fruit should be reduced or eliminated. Vegetables beneficial to a raw dog food diet include garlic, ginger, cabbage, carrots, green beans, broccoli, sweet potatoes, jicama, pumpkin and leafy greens like spinach. Fruits include apples, blueberries, strawberries, melon and pears. These foods can be difficult for the dog to digest, so break them down in some way before serving them. Running them through a juicer, food processor, or blender is one method, while first freezing and then thawing fruits and vegetables will also work. If you use the emulsification method, you can use the vegetable-fruit mush to mix with ground raw meat and form easily-packaged frozen patties for your dog.

    Green Tripe

    • Some dog owners prefer to feed their dogs green tripe instead of vegetables. Green tripe is the stomach lining of a cow or other grazing animal that has not been processed into the white tripe you see in human dishes like menudo. Green tripe is actually brown in color, but is called "green" because it still contains the nutrients and digestive enzymes included in the animal's last meal of grass, hay or alfalfa. Eating green tripe raw gives the dog essential fatty acids, amino acids and lactic acids to aid in digestion and processing of a high-protein diet, while its rubbery texture strengthens jaws and helps keep teeth clean. Ask your butcher if green tripe from a freshly-slaughtered cow is available or purchase it frozen from an online site like greentripe.com.